US farmers in biofuel heaven but expert warns Ireland of ‘false economy’

THE US biofuel boom is built on a “false economy,” says Professor Patrick Cunningham, chief scientific adviser to the Irish government.

He told the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Enterprise, Trade, and Employment that US farmers used to sell corn (maize) at $2.50 per bushel, but the price for this autumn’s crop is $7.50. “They are in heaven. The waiting list for John Deere harvesters is currently two years, because everybody is changing machinery. They are even buying houses in Florida.

However, it is a false economy. When I visited a bio-ethanol plant, I was struck by the trainloads of coal brought in every second day. On the best calculation, the energy produced at the plant is only 1.4 times the amount consumed. Some would even claim the ratio is negative over the plant’s full life cycle.”